Sleep apnea and the risk of high blood pressure

Sleep apnea is a condition that can last from childhood to adolescence and is three times more likely to have high blood pressure than children without pre-existing breathing problems. So what is the relationship between sleep apnea and the risk of high blood pressure?

Sleep apnea syndromes are episodes of breathing stopped for 10-30 seconds during sleep, which can last for more than 1 minute, causing slow heart rate and low blood pressure. The body at this time will respond to the sudden drop in oxygen saturation with brief awakenings so that the patient can breathe again, helping the heart rate to increase, increasing blood pressure. Patients with sleep apnea often present with the following symptoms:
Loud, irregular snoring Nocturnal sleep apnea Restless sleep Sweating during the night Frequent awakening due to suffocation Frequent urination Nocturia Decreased memory Decreased sex drive The common causes of this syndrome are usually due to physical conditions, history of smoking, sedative drugs or alcohol. In addition, it can also be caused by narrowing of the airway when the tonsils are large, the uvula is long, the nasal septum is crooked, obesity or abnormal craniofacial structure

In general, it can be understood that sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that leads to a sudden lack of oxygen in the blood, leading to stimuli being transmitted to the brain to help the vascular system contract more to increase oxygen in the blood. heart and brain. However, this also causes the patient's blood pressure to rise significantly to compensate, in the long run blood pressure can remain high even when the patient is awake. At this time, high blood pressure will be a complication of sleep apnea syndrome. In addition, sleep apnea can also cause the following complications:
Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes Metabolic syndrome Nocturia, decreased sex drive, heart rhythm disturbances, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction Heart failure Psychotic: forgetfulness, irritability, decreased concentration, depression

For mild, newly diagnosed patients, lifestyle changes can be an effective treatment. Patients need to change their diet accordingly, practice healthy living habits, actively exercise, stay away from alcohol and tobacco, think optimistically, and get enough sleep. These are also methods to prevent and control complications of hypertension.
More severe cases require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during sleep. The air pressure from the machine will keep the airways from becoming blocked that causes sleep apnea. Radical surgical methods are also considered, such as uvula-palatal surgery, laser to reduce oropharyngeal tissues. However, the rate of obstruction is only reduced by 50%, and patients with severe obstruction will still have symptoms.
Currently, Vinmec health system has deployed polysomnography sleep measurement service. Unlike conventional sleep polygraphs that can only diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, Vinmec International General Hospital uses the Sapphire PSG sleep polysomnography system. This is a comprehensive sleep monitoring system developed by CleveMed that can diagnose obstructive, central or mixed sleep apnea causes. This machine system has 22 channels to receive signals such as: electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, electrocardiogram, measuring oxygen saturation, measuring airway pressure, determining snoring, thoracic induction, induction of drive Abdominal, blood pressure, temperature... Especially, Vinmec brings together leading experts in respiratory medicine, so customers can rest assured when visiting and receiving treatment here.